Yes, you are seeing double…. Lotus introduce Exige duo at Autosport International Show

Thursday, January 10, 2013 - 15:15

Stand 2550 at the Autosport International show saw Lotus fans doing a double take today, as Lotus Racing, the motorsport arm of sports car manufacturer Group Lotus Plc, unveiled two Exige Cup showstoppers.

The cars, the 2013 Exige V6 Cup, the latest cup version suitable for either track or road and its new race bred sibling the Exige V6 Cup R, have had tongues wagging in interest and following today’s first public debut, its appears they have hit the spot amongst the marque’s enthusiast following.

One, no less than a track day hero derived from the Exige Cup whilst the other, Cup R, which was bred solely for racing, remain true to Lotus genealogy; distinctly recognisable as offspring of the award-winning Exige S. Visually compelling are the car’s bespoke liveries and interior, courtesy of the skilled team at Lotus Design. The Exige Cup R is distinguished with its extended front splitter, and you can almost anticipate the down force by just looking at its bruiser of a rear wing. Both mouth wateringly muscular and ready to battle on track, it's little wonder they’ve drawn such admiration.

Yet show ponies they are not. They reach a scorching 100km/hr (60mph) in 3.8seconds. For the V6 Cup that’s around 0.5secs/km quicker than the Exige S.

Both cars are powered by a 3.5 litre supercharged V6 engine driving through a 6-speed sequential gearbox. Lotus is about lightness, and with the V6 cup weighing at a featherlike, 1080kg whilst its big brother the Cup R is air light, boasting an unladen mass of 1040kg, some 120kg lighter than the original S version. It just keeps getting better, true that Lotus is about race-winning pedigree and an ever-evolving lineage. The Exige Cup V6 is priced from £52,495.00 for the base model and the Exige Cup V6 R from £62,495.00 (all prices exclude VAT, local taxes and on-road costs).

Also on the Lotus stand, is the ever-popular Evora GT4, suitable for the newly announced SRO GT4 European Trophy, this too has been on the agenda of the GT racing fraternity.

Head of Commercial Rupert Manwaring: “It’s great to be back at Autosport. The cars have been simply mobbed today! Interested parties are looking to race them in our own 2013 Lotus Cup series, and in other Cup series for which they are eligible around the globe. The Evora GT4 is here with us also, which is a perfect contender, for, amongst others, the new SRO GT4 European Trophy.’

The fans are indeed visiting by the bucketful if only to have a chance of winning the Driving Experience Day*, courtesy of the Lotus Driving Academy. Winners will be announced at the end of the weekend.

Around the show, visitors have been getting close to the championship winning Evora GTC, the car that romped to victory last season in the MSA British GT Endurance Championship under the guidance of Richard Adams and his Bullrun Team. The car is on display courtesy of Britcar, stand 2200.

Attention has also been drawn to the award-winning Exige S and Evora S road cars as they have been on show as part of the fans Autocar’s ‘Best of British’ parade which is showing at regular intervals in the Live Arena.